Sleep Apnea remedies-Sleep Apnea Exercises

Sleep Apnea Exercises

Singing Exercises for Sleep Apnea:

Different sounds and tunes to focus movement in the soft palate, palatopharyngeal arch, tongue and nasopharynx-

These exercises cannot work for everyone. The action of the exercises is to tone lax muscles in the upper throat. They can only help when lax muscles are a significant factor.

Yawning also uses similar muscles. Try yawning repeatedly for a few minutes to really stretch the muscles. You can do this one anywhere as it’s a silent exercise.

Working out your throat muscles is the same as working out any other muscle in your body. You need to do it regularly in order to see any results.

It won’t happen overnight but gradually over several months you will start to notice that you don’t snore as much as you once did.

Yoga Exercises for Sleep Apnea:

Yoga is appropriate for all ages and can greatly reduce stress and improve the quality of sleep. There are breathing and relaxation techniques that will relieve your sleep apnea.

The special type of yoga that promotes sleep is called Yoga Nidra, which in Sanskrit means Sleep. Yoga uses breathing and visualization techniques to help you relax, and it is recommended you do the exercises every night before sleep.


Jaw Exercise for Sleep Apnea:

Close your mouth and act like you are chewing gum. Chew like this for a minute or so at a time. To do the exercise right make sure your molars on both sides move apart a little, and then touch lightly again. Also notice that your lips are supposed to be closed the whole time.

This exercise is pretty easy on your jaw because you are not actually chewing anything, but you might still feel a little bit sore in the beginning. Just take it easy-maybe chew for only a few seconds in the beginning and then increase the time you exercise.

You can make an "mmm" sound as you chew. This will open the throat better. Making an "mmm" sound is not necessary, it will just give the exercise extra boost

Oropharyngeal Exercises:

If the problem in sleep apnea is the tissues relaxing and collapsing onto each other, you probably wonder if there is any oropharyngeal exercises to strengthen and tone these muscles.

A Brazilian study shows that doing certain tongue and facial exercises for 30 minutes daily may ease the severity of obstructive sleep apnea. Those exercises for sleep apnea included:

• Brushing the tongue with a toothbrush

• Putting the tip of the tongue on the soft palate and sliding the tongue backward

• Pronouncing vowels quickly or continuously

• Keeping the tongue in a certain position when eating

• And other methods

This study included thirty-one adults with moderate obstructive sleep apnea. The results of the study was interesting: after three months of oropharyngeal exercises, the patients had reduced their obstructive sleep apnea severity by thirty-nine percent. They also reported that they were snoring less, sleeping better, and less sleepiness during daytime.

Larger studies are needed to confirm the results and to learn which oropharyngeal exercises were most important, but the basic idea is to strengthen the muscles around the airway so it's less likely to collapse during sleep.

Do you think Plants can Cure your Sleep Apnea?

Do you think plants can cure your Sleep Apnea?

Some people use certain herbs that may improve insomnia and sleep apnea disorders. If you want to treat with these herbs, you should consult with their health care provider or medicine practitioner before taking herbal remedies. This is especially important because some remedies such as Melatonin interact with herbals like valerian and prescribed medicines.

Valerian Plant:

Valerian is an herb that is used for its calming and sedating properties. Studies show that it is useful for insomnia and chronic sleep disorders. It may take a few weeks to get the optimal effect. Some studies have found benefits with Valerian when it is combined with hops and/or lemon balm. It is generally well tolerated, and does not cause next-day drowsiness when taken at bedtime.

Melatonin:

Melatonin is a natural hormone that is secreted from the brain’s pineal gland. The gland regulates a person’s biological clock, particularly day and night cycles. Melatonin is generally used as a jet lag remedy. It may also help establish sleep patterns for shift workers.

Kampo Extract:

In 2002, some Japanese Researchers reported on the case of a 44-year-old male who was successfully treated for OSA by taking a Kampo extract, or traditional Japanese herbal formulation.

Vervain:

Vervain is used to relieve anxiety and depression, a remedy for people who are overbearing or overactive mind, and can improve sleep apnea symptoms.

Ayurvedic Medicine:

Ayurvedic remedies for insomnia include scalp and soles massage with sesame, brahmi, or jatamamsi oils, a warm bath, or a nutmeg ghee paste applied to the forehead and around the eyes. Sleep apnea is treated by changing sleep positions, humidifying the air, and nasya (nosedrops) with warm brahmi ghee.

If you are using natural remedies, whether to treat sleep apnea or other conditions, you should always tell your doctor what you're taking, how much, and how often.

This warning is important because some herbal preparations, or other natural remedies for sleep apnea that might be safe for you can interact with prescription medications.

Sleep Apnea Remedies- Weight Loss

There is no doubt that losing weigh improves sleep apnea symptoms. Several studies have shown that a reduction of ten to twenty percent of body weigh results in a 50% decrease in the number of apnea episodes during sleep.

So, your natural cure for sleep apnea would be to lose weight naturally. However, this solution is not at all simple and is far from easy. The heavier you are, the harder it is for you to lose weight through natural ways.

Do you drink alcohol?

Many patients are unaware that drinking alcohol before going to sleep exacerbates sleep respiratory disorders. The reason is that alcohol depresses the respiratory activity. So, for the future, avoid drinking alcohol before bedtime.

Do you take sleeping pills?

Sleeping pills have a similar effect as alcohol, because most of them depress the respiratory function. If you don't know that you have sleep apnea and you use sleeping pills, you are unintentionally aggravating your condition. Under the influence of sleeping pills, the apnea becomes more prolonged and the drop in the level of blood oxygen starts to decrease.

Sleeping on your back worsen your sleep apnea?

A large number of studies have shown that sleeping on the back can increase the symptoms of sleep apnea. Furthermore, some patients experience apnea episodes and snoring only when lying on their backs.

For avoiding sleeping on your back, there is a simple method, sew a pocket into the back of your pajama jacket and put a tennis ball in it. When you turn on your back, the ball will bother you causing you to turn on the side.

Do you like to eat a lot, even in the evening?

Don't eat big meals at night. Try to eat your largest "dinner" meal at lunch and a lighter lunch at the normal dinner hour.

Other advises for patients having sleep apnea:

• Try getting up about the same time every day.

• Establish relaxing rituals before sleep such as a warm bath, light bedtime snack or a couple of minutes of reading.

• Going to bed only when you feel sleepy.

• Are you a comfortable person? Exercise regularly, at least six hours prior to bedtime, and a couple of mild exercises, such as simple stretching or walking, at least four hours prior to bedtime.

• Avoid caffeine within six hours of bedtime and do not smoke before bedtime.

• Try to not use the sleeping pills, and if you have to use them, sleeping pills should never be used for more than three weeks at a time and remember that you should never take sleeping pills after drinking alcohol.

 

Sleep Apnea Remedies-HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT?

How to Lose Weight ?

Loosing weight begins with a change of mentality. You must understand that if you have sleep apnea, it's not enough just to eat less. It's important to know when and what you need to eat.

Your nutrient diet should help you to have a better sleep, so you will start to become increasingly active during the day. From this point is best to start doing exercises. The key is to combine all the natural cures for sleep apnea, to have an effective treatment.

Today, there are millions of different products that claim to help you lose weight quickly and easily. There is no miracle weight-loss cure, however, the only way to lose weight safely and effectively is through diet and exercise. This is what I do every day, and for that you need to have a strong motivation to stay on this track.

I will give you some suggestions to find the best nutrient diet that can help you to loose weight and have a better sleep.

With your nutrient diet you should...

Try doing an efficient colon cleanse. Why? Because cleaning out the colon (to get rid of toxic residue) will help improve your energy level so that you can get more out of your sleep apnea weight loss plan.

Regulating your metabolism. Because the metabolism shows you how well your individual body functions burn the calories.

Improve your digestion cause digestion affects the entire health of the body and metabolism, including detoxification, to support weight loss.

Improving blood sugar. It has an important role in energy production. If the body cannot utilize its sugars than it will not be able to produce energy. Your nutrient diet should support the pancreas to help with insulin production to utilize blood sugar.

 

Stimulate the production of infection-fighting blood cells to improve your immune system. Because a weight loss diet can leave your immune system weakened.

Try improving circulation and regulation of blood pressure.

Detoxifying your blood stream.

Preventing a build up of fat in the liver and the arteries

Having an effective body detoxification. Detoxification improves the efficiency of the colon, which is extremely important for good health. Poor colon health results in the re-absorption of toxins into the human body resulting in low energy and excessive fatigue.

Shoot for a healthy weight as determined by your height. Why? Because being underweight can be just as dangerous as being overweight.

Could Positional Therapy Help Me Deal With Sleep Apnea?

SLEEP APNEA TREATMENT-CPAP Pillow And WEIGHT LOSS

CPAP Pillow for CPAP users:

These pillows are designed to aid CPAP users to make them comfortable while sleeping. So, these pillows are not really alternatives to CPAP treatment, but it helps you in sleeping better with your CPAP mask.

This pillow is specially designed to allow the mask and nose to stay in place, while avoiding pressure points on the face and leaks in the mask while sleeping. Many pillows have soft polyester fill with a special cotton cover (removable for washing).

Benefits of CPAP pillow:

 

• Enhance your sleeping experience
• Provides unsurpassed comfort
• Provides increased freedom of the patient's movement during the night   
• Supports the neck and keeps the spine aligned
• Reduces leaks from the mask
• Decreases pressure of the CPAP mask against the face

Disadvantages of CPAP pillow:

• The pillow can be bulbous and hard
• Discomfort
• It can leave little real pillow to rest a head on
• According to some company's return policy, hygiene law prohibit them accepting returns or giving refunds on pillow

Sleep Apnea Weight Loss:

Sleep apnea weight loss should be recommended to all obese patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Decreasing body weight is a logical target to reduce OSA burden but also to improve a range of health outcomes and quality of life.

As obesity is the most important risk factor for apnea episodes, sleep apnea weight loss would be expected to lead to an increase in upper airway dimensions and an improvement in sleep breathing disorder.

It has been shown that loss of weight can lead to an improved sleep efficiency, decreased snoring and improved oxygenation of the blood.

In cases of dramatic weight loss by extreme dieting or surgery, OSA severity is improved and in some patients abolished.

The benefit of Sleep Apnea Weight Loss is that if your disorder is due to obesity, then weight loss is your lifesaver. 

Dietary weight loss remains challenging; therefore, achieving and maintaining a target body weight is difficult.

I think you know very well that substantial weight loss by non-surgical means is both difficult to achieve and even harder to sustain. Therefore, it is an effective but difficult long-term therapeutic strategy.

The treatment for sleep apnea through weight loss is not for lazy people.  You should be very motivated, not only to start this program, but to continue and make a habit of it.

If you add the fact that you are overweight, have fear for surgery, and you can't sleep with a CPAP machine...then I think you are very motivated to try a sleep apnea weight loss.

TREATING SLEEP APNEA

Treating Sleep Apnea is absolutely possible and there are lots of methods to treat sleep apnea disorder. If you have a mild disorder, or your main problem is obesity, you can combine the following types of alternative treatments and have very good results:

• ·         Positional Therapy
• ·         Alternatives to CPAP
• ·         Weight Loss
• ·         Apnea Exercises
• ·         Or pharyngeal Exercises for Sleep Apnea and snoring
• ·         Tongue Exercises for Sleep Apnea

Treating Sleep Apnea-Positional Therapy:  

We heard the argument that if you elbow a snorer and they roll over, their snoring will stop. In some cases, this actually works and after rolling over, the snorer and the person doing the elbowing both get a good and quiet night's rest.

There are devices that you can purchase that help the snorer to sleep in a position that encourages less snoring, like bumper belt or anti snore shirt .The idea behind them is that if the snorer's body is in a certain position the airway through their throat will be more open and that allows a clearer passage of air. The more air that gets through, the less likely the person is to snore.

Sleeping on the side can also successfully treat sleep apnea disorder, when your condition is worse while sleeping on the back (lying flat). That's why during sleep studies, the technician wants some of your sleep while on your back - so that they can see if your sleep apnea is positional.

And that's why understanding your sleep study results are helpful because it shows, how bad your sleep apnea is in different positions when you are sleeping.

Techniques Available for Positional Therapy include:

Placing three to four tennis balls in a pocket sewn on the back of a pajama top. 

Pinning a sock filled with tennis balls to the back of a sleep garment. 

Sleeping with a filled backpack.

Sleeping with a bumper belt or anti snore shirt.

Using a posture alarm that is triggered whenever a person remains in a supine position.

Elevating the head and trunk at a 30 - 60 degree angle

 

·         Alternatives to CPAP

Over the last 15 to 20 years, the CPAP equipment and masks have become increasingly used. These machines are smaller, portable, and quieter.

However, if you can't tolerate your CPAP, even after you applied the advice from CPAP side effects, you may want to try the following alternatives to CPAP:

Treating Sleep Apnea-Sleep Apnea Dental Device:

An oral appliance or sleep apnea dental device is used to relieve upper airway obstruction and snoring by modifying the position of the mandible, tongue, and other oral-pharyngeal structures. An oral appliance also prevents the tongue from blocking the airway passages.

There are two types of Sleep Apnea Dental Devices:

1.       Mandibular Advancement Device (MAAs)

These are oral appliances that are fitted to the maxillary and mandibular dentition, and works by altering the position of the lower jaw, or mandible. The dental device pushes the lower jaw forward. This also repositions the tongue, which is attached to the lower jaw.

By repositioning the lower jaw and tongue, the oral appliance keeps airways open and prevents the appearance of snoring and apnea events.

   2. Tongue Retaining Devices (TRD)

This device reposition the tongue in an anterior position by securing it with negative pressure in a soft plastic bulb that directly contacts the base of the tongue.

 Other type of TRD uses a suction cup that attaches to the front of the tongue, pulling the tongue forward to prevent the back of the tongue from collapsing.